...Overview of Cocaine Jasmine Wright Research Paper Professor Suh It is a Friday night and your roommates at your dorm invite you to a dorm party. Instead of finishing your homework you decide to join them and put the homework off for tomorrow. You tell yourself that you wont be out so late and that you had a long week so why not. As you arrive to the party, there are girls kissing up on boys as they take shots. You tell yourself that you would not participate because your parents did not grow you up in that kind of manner. As the night passes, your roommates pressure you into taken a shot of tequila. Eventually, one shot turns into two and then three. Until, the shots are not enough. Your roommate turns to and says, “Try this”. She passes you a little “baggy” of a white powder substance. You ask, “What is it?” She replies, “ it’s coke, you’ll love it.” You take the rolled up bill from her hand and you try your first line of coke. At that moment, you fell in love and life was no longer the same. Cocaine became prevalent in 5,000 B.C. of the Inca Empire in Peru. It is derived from cocoa plants were they would chew the leaves and extract the cocoa from it. It effect can be increased by adding calcified lime to raise the alkalinity which improves the effect of cocaine. This would be of assistance to them when they had to travel great distances due it increasing their endurance and strength. Eventually, the demand for cocaine grew high in the field of medicine. A surgeon, Halsted...
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...Cocaine: Putting a Crack in Society Health Science 460 Section 1 Drug Use and Abuse Brother Yearsley Name: Date: Outline Thesis Statement: Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant that has gratifying yet dangerous short term effects, and devastating long term effects. The problems related to cocaine abuse have an effect world wide; therefore it is a problem that society cannot ignore. I. From High Class to Skid Row II. History of Cocaine III. Why so Much Abuse IV. Short Term Effects A. Physical B. Psychological V. Long Term Effects A. Physical B. Psychological C. Social VI. Abuse Statistics VII. History Relived VIII. Summary I. From High Class to Skid Row- INTRODUCTION Today Cocaine and Crack can be found in almost every city and is used by people of all walks of life. During the 1970’s and mid 1980’s cocaine use was at its peak. It was the drug of choice for the rich and famous and was part of what some called a glamorous life the “Champagne of Drugs”. Around 1985 came the arrival of a new form of cocaine, called crack. This new smoke able form became the drug of choice on the street. Crack has more intense and faster effects than the traditional forms of cocaine use, which are primarily snorting and injecting. Crack which is cheaper to produce became accessible to people of all socioeconomic statuses. Cocaine in the form...
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...drug that falls into this category is Cocaine. Cocaine can be two things; A Coca leaf that is naturally grinded into a powder like substance, or it can be made into a “Crack” rock and smoked by the user. The coca leaf is a naturally grown plant that has natural opium’s in it used for medicines such as morphine and Vicodin. In the United States, approximately 14% of the adults have tried cocaine at least one time in their life if not more. The most common way of using cocaine is to snort a line of it although it is possible to smoke it. The short term effects of cocaine can make any user want to experiment with this drug because it can be a “pick me up”. Cocaine has been said to have increased both energy as well as alertness and can put you in the greatest mood a person can ever be in. Cocaine has also been known to give the user a sense of supremacy like he or she can’t be hurt or is above any other individual. Perks like these can make any individual consider using cocaine on a regular basis. However, these are only the good perks to using the drug. Some other short term effects of using cocaine are extreme irritability, restlessness, paranoia, and bad anxiety. The approximate “high” of using cocaine last usually around 30 minutes but can last for up to two hours sometimes depending on the pureness of the cocaine. Cocaine is responsible for the most drug related hospital visits due to its long term effects. For example, the use of cocaine results in high blood pressure in the...
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...Crack is a drug that is an epidemic in society. Cities of all nations and backgrounds can become a victim of the ever growing problem and devastation of using crack cocaine. Crack cocaine gives the brain such a stimulant that please the users, but it also be highly hazardous. The result of using the drug produces short and long term effects and many family and social results. It does not matter a person’s race, if they are rich or poor; even though those of poverty and African American are the one who have been affected the most. Having coca leaves go far back over three thousand years ago. The crystalized form of cocaine, which is better known as crack evolved during the 1970’s and during the mid-1980 the use became wide spread. Crack cocaine...
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...Introduction: Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, PCP, speed, shrooms, crystal meth, and angel dust are all types of illegal drugs. What is an illegal drug? An illegal drug is something and often a substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness. Body: I. Illegal Drugs The use of illegal drugs in the United States is considered by some to be the biggest problem in our society. Over 40% of high school seniors use some kind of illegal drug, and in a recent 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse showed that the three most common drugs are Marijuana used by 11,100,000 people, Cocaine used by 1,500,000 people, and inhalants that is used by 991,000 people nationwide. A. Marijuana 1. Marijuana is commonly referred to as Pot, Mary Jane, Chronic, Weed, and Reefer. 2. Marijuana is a product of the hemp plant and contains the chemical THC that is the most potent of over 400 chemicals found in marijuana and mainly affects the brain. a. Marijuana is a greenish-gray substance consisting of dried-shredded leaves and flowers from the hemp plant. 3. Most users roll it into a cigarette called a "joint", or into a cigar called a "blunt". Users may also smoke it in a water pipe referred to as a "bong" or they can eat it by mixing it into different foods called "special food". 4. Some short-term effects of marijuana include distorted perception, increased heart rate, and a loss of motor coordination. 5. One long-term effect is the possibility...
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...Running Head: EFFECTS OF ILLEGAL DRUGS Effects of Illegal Drugs Tina Bolon Com/156 January 19, 2014 Instructor: Christy Spindler EFFECTS OF ILLEGAL DRUGS The Effects of Illegal Drugs “When you hear the word drugs, what do you think of first?” Majority of people would consider hardcore drugs first LSD, heroin, cocaine or weed. Most people would not associate alcohol as means of a drug. A lot of individuals in society may even dispute alcohol being a drug, when in fact, it is. According to Kleiman (2013) “Alcohol is not just a drug, but the archetypal drug: the drug most widely used and the drug that causes the most addiction, disease, and violence” (p. 1). Long-term drug use starts with alcohol. Alcohol is the gateway drug that leads adolescents down the road to more serious drugs. The chemical make-up of these illegal drugs and the stimulation that they offer contribute to the desire for more, leading to addiction and eventually death if the addict is not willing to undergo rehabilitation. There are numerous types of drugs that both old and young people are becoming addicted to, many are already addicts. Many young teens are starting off small in the beginning with cigarettes and alcohol. This leads them to experiment with harder street drugs to get a better high, eventually leading them down a path of destruction. Addicts are always chasing the high they received the first time this is what causes them to continually yearn for me. People of all ages are experimenting...
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...and pornography. Parents and school officials are the first ones who need to begin the process of censoring out those inappropriate websites. The Internet is an easy way to access all sorts of information. Because the Internet has become so popular in such a short period of time, the opportunity to censor it has passed by almost as quickly as the public discovered its usefulness to our everyday lives. The Internet has some bad source of information that’s not helpful to our kids. Parents and schools officials are the ones who should start the process of censoring those websites that our kids view each and every day of their lives. Because they are ones who know what sorts of information on the Internet that is best for our kids. So that’s why, Internet censorship should be enacted to prevent teenagers from viewing inappropriate websites that promote drug usages, violence and pornography. The first reason as to why Internet censorship should be enacted is that our teenagers use websites that promote the use of drugs. Using drugs at a young stage in your life is very dangerous to teenagers because it affects their physical health. For example, smoking marijuana can have short term effects to your body. The short term...
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...of them fall into following these three categories: oral, injection, or inhalation. Amphetamine is usually administered through oral, insufflation, injection, or rectal. Oral administration of amphetamine is the only route used in the therapeutic setting, however is also very common as a method of recreational use. Cocaine is either snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked. If 100 mg of cocaine is snorted, somewhere in between 15 and 30 minutes is plateau dose. Crack cocaine, which makes a crackling sound when heated, is considered to be more highly and more quickly addictive than snorted cocaine. Unlike the other stimulants with lots of methods in administration, nicotine is mainly administered by only smoking. The threshold dose of nicotine is 0.2 - 0.3 mg. In addition, since caffeine is mainly distributed through food, such as coffee and chocolates, method of administration of caffeine is usually oral. Threshold dose of caffeine is 10 - 20 mg. In addition, the effects from an oral dose of amphetamine appear within 15 to 60 minutes and peak within 2 to 3 hours. After that, the effects start to decline shortly. The second half of the amphetamine is released...
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...Drugs: Cocaine Does Kill Death by cocaine overdose holds no favoritism among the classes of race, gender, or wealth; it destroys everything in its path. (Good opening sentence) A short time-ago the world lost Whitney Houston to a heart attack, but truth was cocaine took this remarkable icon from the world. The autopsy revealed she had cocaine in her system. If she had not been drinking and under the influence of cocaine, she may might not have drowned and would still be here today. Cocaine is killing our children, families, friends, and communities. It takes away from the individual life span. It has an adverse effect on growth, development, and our people’s relationship with our their children. It does nothing but provide a breeding ground for criminals and illegal behavior among members of society. Cocaine kills the economy through negative growth for the money and positive growth for the criminal minded. Cocaine kills the individuals Coca plants can be consumed four different ways; chewing the leaves was the originally intake. It is also used to soothe the stomach by making coca-tea called mate’ de coca. Second, cocaine sulfate is the intermediary stage of coca leaf and the finished cocaine hydrochloride crystal, a low-quality paste mixed with tobacco and smoked, mostly in the slum areas of South America. Thirdly, cocaine hydrochloride, is a stable, hydrophilic salt, it is an unscented white crystalline powder when snorted and immersed through the nasal mucosa...
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...problem in America and many other countries as well. Substance abuse not only refers to alcohol it can also have to do with drugs. Youth who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use other illegal drugs and fifty times more likely to use cocaine than young people who never drink. Now how does marijuana use affect your school, work, and social life? Because marijuana impairs short-term memory and judgment and distorts perception, it can impair performance in school or at work and make it dangerous to drive an automobile. It also affects brain systems that are still maturing through young adulthood, so regular use by teens may have a negative and long-lasting effect on their cognitive development, putting them at a competitive disadvantage and possibly interfering with their well-being in other ways. Also, contrary to popular belief, marijuana can be addictive, and its use during adolescence may make other forms of drug abuse or addiction more likely. Exposure to cannabinoids during adolescent development can cause long-lasting changes in the brain’s reward system as well as the hippocampus, a brain area critical for learning and memory. Regular marijuana use in adolescence is part of a cluster of behaviors that can produce enduring detrimental effects and alter the trajectory of a young person’s life—throwing off his or her potential. Beyond potentially lowering IQ, teen marijuana use is linked to school dropout, other drug use, mental health problems, etc. Given the current number...
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...used for “special’ occasions (Bishop). Nowadays kids use them like they’re candy and by their 45th birthday they’re almost dead. Drug abuse is one of the leading causes of cancer, death and mental illness. Drug abuse is the second largest form of abuse in teens ages 13-18 (alcohol is number one). The Effects of Drugs Drugs can quickly take over your body, like somebody is controlling you from the inside making you 35% more likely to steal, fight, and getting a D.U.I [driving under influence] (“Marijuana Myths and Facts”). Next they hijack your “reward” circuit and make you overdose on dopamine [gives you good feelings] this will happen in your limbic system (is the set of brain structures that forms the inner border of the cortex). Certain drugs will interfere with your nervous system and change the way you send receive and process information (“Teen Drugs”). THC [delta-9-tetrahyfrocannbinol] is a very harmful substance found in many drugs it rapidly passes though the lungs into the bloodstream and leads to your brain. This will have many short and long term effects, for example memory loss, hard time thinking/concentrating and problem solving. Short term effects like time/perception loss or anxiety come from THC (Volkow). Another harmful substance released drugs are opioids [synthetic narcotic that mimics the naturally occurring opiates] these act by attaching to specific proteins called “opioid receptors found in the brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract]...
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...Cocaine Addiction Written by Melissa Warren for Psychology In this paper, I will explore what makes cocaine so addictive and why it is one of the most abused, and one of the most popular drugs in the world. Cocaine is one of the most addictive drugs on the street and is the second most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. To better understand the drug, we first need to define exactly what cocaine is. Cocaine: A colorless or white crystalline alkaloid extracted from coca leaves. Cocaine is sometimes used in medicine as a local anesthetic, especially for the eyes, nose, or throat. It is also widely used as an illicit drug for its euphoric and stimulating effects. Chemical formula: C 17 H 21 NO 4 (Dictionary.com) Crack cocaine is cocaine that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. Cocaine is the smokable form of cocaine. It gets its name from the crackling sound it makes when smoked. Of these two similar drugs, cocaine is the most addictive since it is administered into the body the quickest. The faster the drug is absorbed into the blood, is relative to the length of the high. Since the high from crack only lasts from 10-15 minutes, people get addicted much more easily.(1) When a person uses cocaine, they are changing the amounts of dopamine (a chemical related to pleasurable experiences) and in turn they disrupt the system which regulates this chemical. “With repeated use, cocaine can cause long-term changes in the brain’s...
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...Cocaine is extracted from the coca plant, which grows in Central and South America. The substance is processed into many forms for use as an illegal drug of abuse. Cocaine is dangerously addictive, and users of the drug experience a "high"—a feeling of euphoria or intense happiness, along with hypervigilance, increased sensitivity, irritablity or anger, impaired judgment, and anxiety. COCAINE ABUSE. For the cocaine abuser, the use of the substance leads to maladaptive behavior over a 12-month period. The person may fail to meet responsibilities at school, work, or home. The cocaine abuse impairs the affected person's judgment, and he or she puts him- or herself in physical danger to use the substance. For example, the individual may use cocaine in an unsafe environment. The person who abuses cocaine may be arrested or charged with possession of the substance, yet will continue to use cocaine despite all of the personal and legal problems that may result. COCAINE INTOXICATION. Cocaine intoxication occurs after recent cocaine use. The person experiences a feeling of intense happiness, hypervigilance, increased sensitivity, irritability or anger, with impaired judgment, and anxiety. The intoxication impairs the person's ability to function at work, school, or in social situations. Two or more of the following symptoms are present immediately after the use of the cocaine: What are the underlying causes of Cocaine addiction? When we take drugs, either for medical purposes or...
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...problems with your immune system, and increased risk of cancers involving the head, neck, lungs, mouth, and respiratory & gastrointestinal tracts. Withdrawal Symptoms – headaches, shakiness, sweating, stomach pains, nausea, restlessness, irritability, and trouble sleeping. STIMULANT- COCAINE Generic Name – Cocaine Street name(s) – Blow, Bump, Snow, Powder, and Nose Candy. Action – Cocaine prevents the dopamine from being recycled, causing excessive amounts to build up in the synapse, or junction between neurons. This amplifies the dopamine signal and ultimately disrupts normal brain communication. It is this flood of dopamine that causes cocaine’s characteristic high. Consequences – increased blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia, loss of appetite, dilated pupils, nosebleeds, chronic runny nose, problems swallowing, erosion of the upper nasal cavity, a unique respiratory syndrome, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmias and arrests, strokes, and death. Withdrawal Symptoms – strong craving for more, fatigue, sleepiness, agitation, paranoia, anxiety, and irritability. HALLUCINOGEN – SALVIA DIVINORUM Generic Name – Salvia Street name(s) – Salvia, Maria-Pastora, Sally-D Action – Cocaine prevents the dopamine from being recycled, causing excessive amounts to...
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...whilst many drug users are unaware of the detrimental and irreversible effects that drugs can have on ones health. Young people are increasingly taking drugs in socials settings in an attempt to enjoy the party more and ignoring the possible risks involved. A drug is a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans. Recreational drug use has always been a dilemma facing our society. Recreational drug use is the use of psychoactive substances to have fun, for the experience. Recreational drugs affect the central nervous system, such as depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens. Irresponsible and illegal use of drugs can result in physical and mental addictions causing long term damage to ones bodily function and health for example, drug use interferes with the functioning of ones brain function as well as disrupt the natural functioning cycles of all vital organs in ones body. Depressants are drugs that slow down the functions of the central nervous system. It cause the user to feel more relaxed when it is used in small quantities, although when used in larger quantities...
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